Light harvesting fiber optic amplifiers

ABSTRACT

Optical fibers are described that include integrated Photovoltaic (PV) cells. One embodiment comprises a method of integrating a photon converter into an optical fiber. The method comprises acquiring an optical fiber having a core that is configured to convey light. The method further comprises cleaving the optical fiber to form a first length and a second length, and fabricating a photon converter onto an end of the first length of optical fiber, where the photon converter includes a void that allows the light through the core to traverse across the splice. The method further comprises splicing the end of the first length of the optical fiber to an end of the second length of the optical fiber.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional of co-pending U.S.non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/849,391, filed on Dec.20, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of optical data transmission overoptical fibers.

BACKGROUND

An optical fiber is a flexible transparent fiber typically formed fromsilica, plastic, or a polymer. Optical fibers are used in fiber opticcommunications, where they convey optical signals between ends of theoptical fibers. Optical fibers include a core material that conveys theoptical signals, which is surrounded by a transparent cladding. Thetransparent cladding has a lower index of refraction than the core,which keeps the optical signals mostly confined to the core due to totalinternal reflection. However, some of the optical signals in the corescatter from the core and are absorbed by a protective material thatsurrounds the optical fiber.

While silica is mostly transparent to optical wavelengths, someattenuation still occurs. This attenuation is also dependent on thewavelength of the optical signal. Thus, the optical power of the opticalsignal along the optical fiber decreases as a distance from thetransmitting end of the optical fiber increases. If the optical power atthe receiving end of the optical fiber is too low, then the opticalsignal may not be recovered correctly due to bit errors arising from alow signal-to-noise ratio.

To solve this problem, the optical signal may be amplified using anErbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA). EDFAs utilize an active opticalfiber that is placed in-line somewhere along the length of the opticalfiber. The active optical fiber has an Erbium doped core, which ispumped by a laser diode from one or both ends of the optical fiber. Thepump light from the laser diode(s) excite the Erbium ions in the dopedcore, which amplify the optical signals. The remote pumping of anoptical amplifier is referred to as a Remote Optically Pumped Amplifier(ROPA).

Typically, the pump light has a wavelength of about 980 nanometers (nm),while the optical signal through a core of an optical fiber has awavelength of about 1550 nm. 1550 nm is typically used for opticalfibers that use silica as a core material, because the attenuation insilica at 1550 nm is lower than at other wavelengths.

One problem with ROPAs is that the attenuation coefficient of silica at850 nm is much higher than the attenuation coefficient at 1550 nm. Whenthe pump light is conveyed from an end of the optical fiber, the ROPAshave to be relatively close to the end that is providing the pump lightin order to maintain a sufficient pump power at the active opticalfiber. This limits how far from the end of the optical fiber that theROPA can be placed, which can limit the length of the optical fiberbefore the optical signal degrades past the point of recovery. It istherefore desirable to provide other means of amplifying optical signalsin an optical fiber that can extend the effective length of the opticalfiber before amplification is required.

SUMMARY

Optical fibers are described that include integrated Photovoltaic (PV)cells. The PV cells do not interfere with the optical signals that areconveyed along a core of an optical fiber. Further, the PV cells areable to convert light scattered from the core of the optical fiber intoelectricity. The PV cells may then be used to power remote opticalamplifiers disposed along the optical fiber. For instance, the PV cellsmay be used to supplement or fully power the remote optical amplifiers.

One embodiment comprises a method of integrating a photon converter intoan optical fiber. The method comprises acquiring an optical fiber havinga core that is configured to convey light. The method further comprisescleaving the optical fiber to form a first length and a second length,and fabricating a photon converter onto an end of the first length ofoptical fiber, where the photon converter includes a void that allowsthe light through the core to traverse across the splice. The methodfurther comprises splicing the end of the first length of the opticalfiber to an end of the second length of the optical fiber.

Another embodiment comprises a method of integrating a Photovoltaic cellinto an optical fiber. The method comprises acquiring an optical fiberhaving a core that is configured to convey light, an inner claddingsurrounding the core that is optically transparent, and an outercladding surrounding the inner cladding that redirects scattered lightfrom the core into the inner cladding. The method further comprisescleaving the optical fiber transversely to form a first length and asecond length, and disposing a Photovoltaic cell onto an end of thefirst length of optical fiber, where the Photovoltaic cell includes avoid that allows the light through the core to traverse across thesplice. The method further comprises splicing the end of the firstlength of the optical fiber to an end of the second length of theoptical fiber.

Another embodiment comprises a method of integrating a Photovoltaic cellinto an optical fiber. The method comprises acquiring an optical fiberhaving a core that is configured to convey light, an inner claddingsurrounding the core that is optically transparent, and an outercladding surrounding the inner cladding that redirects scattered lightfrom the core into the inner cladding. The method further comprisescleaving the optical fiber transversely to form a first length and asecond length, and fabricating a Photovoltaic cell onto an end of thefirst length of optical fiber, where the Photovoltaic cell includes avoid that allows the light through the core to traverse across thesplice. The method further comprises splicing the end of the firstlength of the optical fiber to an end of the second length of theoptical fiber.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can beachieved independently in various embodiments or may be combined in yetother embodiments, further details of which can be seen with referenceto the following description and drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are now described, by way of example only, and withreference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numberrepresents the same element or the same type of element on all drawings.

FIG. 1 is perspective view of an optical fiber in an illustrativeembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the optical fiber of FIG. 1 in anillustrative embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the optical fiber of FIG. 1 coupled to anoptical amplifier in an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a graph of the attenuation coefficient versus wavelength forsilica in the prior art.

FIG. 5 is a graph of the external quantum efficiency versus wavelengthfor various GaInAs Photovoltaic cells in the prior art.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of integrating a Photovoltaic cellwithin an optical fiber in an illustrative embodiment.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate the results of performing steps of the method ofFIG. 6 in an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates additional steps of the method of FIG. 6 in anillustrative embodiment.

FIGS. 11-15 illustrate the results of performing steps of the method ofFIG. 10 in an illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures and the following description illustrate specific exemplaryembodiments. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art willbe able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitlydescribed or shown herein, embody the principles described herein andare included within the contemplated scope of the claims that followthis description. Furthermore, any examples described herein areintended to aid in understanding the principles of the disclosure, andare to be construed as being without limitation. As a result, thisdisclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments or examplesdescribed below, but by the claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber 100 in an illustrativeembodiment. Optical fiber 100 may comprise silica, plastic, or somecombination of silica and plastic. Further, portions of optical fiber100 may be doped to modify a refractive index of different portions ofoptical fiber 100. Doping portions of optical fiber 100 allows for thecontrol of the transmissive properties of optical fiber 100.

In this embodiment, optical fiber 100 has a first length 102 and asecond length 103 that are joined together at a splice 104. Opticalfiber 100 includes a core 106 that conveys light 108. For example, light108 may comprise an optical signal in some embodiments. When light 108comprises an optical signal, light 108 encodes data. The data may beencoded using intensity modulation, phase modulation, polarizationmodulation, and/or frequency modulation of light 108, or somecombination of intensity modulation, phase modulation, polarizationmodulation, and/or frequency modulation of light 108. Light 108 may havea free space wavelength of between 1500 and 1600 nanometers.

In this embodiment, optical fiber 100 includes an inner cladding 110that surrounds core 106 and is optically transparent. Optical fiber 100further includes an outer cladding 112 that surrounds inner cladding110. Outer cladding 112 in this embodiment is configured to redirectscattered light (not shown in this view) emitted by core 106 back intoinner cladding 110. For example, outer cladding 112 may have a lowerindex of refraction than inner cladding 110, which will redirectscattered light emitted by core 106 back into inner cladding 110.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of optical fiber 100 in an illustrativeembodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a Photovoltaic (PV) cell 202 islocated at splice 104 between first length 102 and second length 103. PVcell 202 comprises any component, system, or device that is capable ofconverting light into electricity. PV cell 202 may be referred to as aphoton converter in some embodiments. In the embodiments describedherein, PV cell 202 does not obscure, obstruct, or interfere with light108 travelling through core 106 of optical fiber 100. For example, PVcell 202 may extend outward from an outer circumference 204 of core 106to an outer circumference 206 of inner cladding 110, as illustrated inFIG. 2. However, PV cell 202 may extend outward from outer circumference204 of core 106 to an outer circumference 208 of outer cladding 112 inother embodiments. In some embodiments, PV cell 202 may extend outwardfrom outer circumference 204 of core 106 to a position that is partwayto outer circumference 206 of inner cladding 110 or partway to outercircumference 208 of outer cladding 112. In this embodiment, PV cell 202includes a void 212 that allows light 108 to traverse through core 106across splice 104.

In the embodiments described herein, PV cell 202 is capable ofconverting scattered light 210 emitted by core 106 into electricity.This electricity may be used in a number of different ways. For example,PV cell 202 may power an optical amplifier (not shown in this view),which may be used to amplify light 108.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, PV cell 202 is sandwiched betweenan inner cladding 110-1 of first length 102 and an inner cladding 110-2of second length 103 at splice 104. In this case, PV cell 202 blocksscattered light 210 from traversing across splice 104. Further, outercladding 112-1 of first length 102 and outer cladding 112-2 of secondlength 103 are joined at splice 104 in this embodiment, but in otherembodiments outer cladding 112-1 of first length 102 and outer cladding112-2 of second length 103 may not be joined at splice 104 if PV cell202 extends towards outer circumference 208 of outer cladding 112. Inboth embodiments, core 106-1 of first length 102 is joined to core 106-2of second length 103 at splice 104 and traverses through void 212 of PVcell 202. This allows light 108 to traverse across splice 104. Forinstance, splice 104 may comprise a fusion splice or a mechanical fibersplice. Generally, a mechanical fiber splice may be preferred due to thehigh temperatures generated in a fusion splice, which may damage PV cell202.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of optical fiber 100 coupled to an opticalamplifier 302 in an illustrative embodiment. In this embodiment, light108 is optically amplified by optical amplifier 302. Electrical leads304-305 are electrically connected to PV cell 202, which areelectrically coupled to optical amplifier 302. PV cell 202 convertsscattered light 210 into electricity, which is used to electricallypower optical amplifier 302. For instance, optical amplifier 302 mayinclude one or more laser diodes that optically pump an active opticfiber (e.g., an optic fiber that includes an Erbium doped core).However, optical amplifier 302 may utilize other mechanisms that operateto amplify light 108.

In embodiments whereby PV cell 202 powers optical amplifier 302, theconfiguration of PV cell 202 and optical amplifier 302 illustrated inFIG. 3 may be placed at any position along a length of optical fiber100. For example, PV cell 202 and optical amplifier 302 may be place atintervals along a length of optical fiber 100, and operate to boostlight 108 along optical fiber 100.

Although optical amplifier 302 has been illustrated as separate fromoptical fiber 100 in FIG. 3, all or portions of optical amplifier 302may be included as part of optical fiber 100. For example, first length102 or second length 103 may include an Erbium core, which may operateto amplify light 108 when pumped by laser diodes. Such laser diodes maybe included proximate to or within optical fiber 100, thereby providinga mechanism for amplifying light 108. In this case, a single protectivehousing (e.g., a protective outer layer of optical fiber 100) could beused to protect both optical amplifier 302 and electrical leads 304-305.

As discussed previously, dopants may be added to silica to allow opticalfiber 100 to operate as an optical waveguide. For instance, core 106 maybe doped with Germanium, phosphorus, or aluminum to increase therefractive index of core 106 relative to un-doped silica, while innercladding 110 may comprise un-doped silica. This effectively providesinner cladding 110 with a refractive index which is lower than core 106.In continuing with the example, outer cladding 112 may be doped withfluorine or boron trioxide, which reduces the refractive index of outercladding 112. This effectively provides outer cladding 112 with arefractive index which is lower than un-doped silica, andconsequentially, outer cladding 112 has a refractive index which islower than inner cladding 110. The net effect is that scattered light210 from core 106 is redirected by outer cladding 112 back into innercladding 110. In other embodiments, core 106 may be un-doped and innercladding 110 and/or outer cladding 112 may be doped with fluorine. Thistype of optical fiber is referred to as a “pure silica core” opticalfiber.

FIG. 4 is a graph of the attenuation coefficient versus wavelength forsilica in the prior art. FIG. 4 illustrates why wavelengths of 1550 nmare desirable in optical fibers that utilize silica. In particular, theattenuation coefficient at 1550 nm is much lower than at otherwavelengths. For example, the attenuation coefficient at a wavelength of1550 nm may be as much as five times lower than at a wavelength of 980nm, which is the typical wavelength used to pump ROPAs. Since scatteredlight 210 has the same wavelength as light 108, the use of 1550 nmwavelengths for optical communications over optical fiber 100 (e.g.,when core 106 comprises silica) ensures that scattered light 210 isattenuated much less than the typical 980 nm pump light used in ROPAs.

In some embodiments, PV cell 202 may be formed from one or more films ofGallium-Indium Arsenide (GaInAs). In particular, PV cell 202 may beformed from Ga_(0.47)In_(0.53)As, which exhibits an external quantumefficiency of greater than 80% at a wavelength of 1550 nm. As scatteredlight 210 is at the same wavelength as light 108, the use ofGa_(0.47)In_(0.53)As allows PV cell 202 to efficiently convert photonsat 1550 nm into electricity when light 108 operates at a wavelength of1550 nm.

FIG. 5 is a graph of the external quantum efficiency versus wavelengthfor various GaInAs Photovoltaic cells in the prior art. In particular,FIG. 5 illustrates the external quantum efficiency ofGa_(0.47)In_(0.53)As when used as a Photovoltaic cell is nearly flatfrom 1200 nm to 1700 nm. This makes Ga_(0.47)In_(0.53)As an idealmaterial for PV cell 202 when light 108 operates at a wavelength of 1550nm.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method 600 of integrating a Photovoltaiccell within an optical fiber in an illustrative embodiment. The steps ofmethod 600 will be described with respect to optical fiber 100 and PVcell 202; although one skilled in the art will understand that method600 may be applicable to other implementations of optical fibers and PVcells. The steps of method 600 are not all inclusive and may includeother steps not shown. Further, the steps of method 600 may be performedin an alternate order.

Step 602 comprises acquiring optical fiber 100, which is illustrated inFIG. 7. As discussed previously, optical fiber 100 may have a particularrefractive index profile to channel scattered light 210 through innercladding 110. Subsequent to acquiring optical fiber 100, optical fiber100 is cleaved to form first length 102 and second length 103 (see step604 and FIG. 8). The purpose of cleaving optical fiber 100 is to providea flat end face that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofoptical fiber 100.

After cleaving optical fiber 100, PV cell 202 is fabricated onto an end802 of first length 102 of optical fiber 100 (see step 606 and FIG. 9).Fabricating PV cell 202 onto end 802 may be performed in a number ofdifferent ways. For example, PV cell 202 may be formed onto end 802using a deposition process. This will be described later. In anotherexample, PV cell 202 may be fabricated separately and bonded to end 802.In some cases, end 802 is polished after cleaving to ensure that ahigh-quality surface is present at end 802 prior to forming and/orbonding PV cell 202 to end 802. After fabricating PV cell 202 onto end802, end 802 of first length 102 of optical fiber 100 is spliced to anend 804 of second length 103 of optical fiber 100 (see step 606, FIG. 8,and FIG. 2).

FIG. 10 illustrates additional steps of method 600 in an illustrativeembodiment. Core 106 of optical fiber 100 is selected to have arefractive index that is greater than a refractive index of innercladding 110 (see step 1002). For example, core 106 may comprise silicadoped with GeO₂ or Al₂O₃. Inner cladding 110 is selected to have arefractive index that is greater than a refractive index of outercladding 112 (see step 1004). For instance, inner cladding 110 may beun-doped silica, while outer cladding 112 may comprise silica doped withfluorine or B₂O₃.

Optical fiber 100 is cleaved to form first length 102 and second length103, previously described (see step 604). To fabricate PV cell 202, amask 1102 is placed at end 802 of first length 102 of optical fiber 100(see step 1006 and FIG. 11). Mask 1102 prevents a subsequent depositionprocess from covering core 106.

To continue fabricating PV cell 202, a deposition process is performedto form PV cell 202 on end 802 (see step 1008 and FIG. 12). For example,GaInAs may be deposited on end 802 to form one or more films (e.g., oneor more layers of Ga_(0.47)In_(0.53)As). Mask 1102 is removed (see step1010 and FIG. 13).

Electrical leads 304-305 are electrically coupled to PV cell 202 (seestep 1012 and FIG. 14). First length 102 and second length 103 ofoptical fiber 100 are spliced together (see step 608 and FIG. 15,previously described). Electrical leads 304-305 are electrically coupledto optical amplifier 302 (see step 1014 and FIG. 3).

The use of PV cell 202 within optical fiber 100 allows for remotelypowering an optical amplifier without the drawbacks associated withROPAs, which suffer from attenuation issues which precludes their use atlong distances from an end of an optical fiber. Optical fiber 100utilizes two claddings that channel scattered light 210 and providesscattered light 210 to PV cell 202, which would otherwise be lost toabsorption by a protective shell that surrounds typical optical fibers.The use of PV cell 202 within optical fiber 100 is therefore uniquelysuited to provide remote power options along optical fibers, such asthose described with respect to powering remote optical amplifiers.

Any of the various elements shown in the figures or described herein maybe implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or some combination ofthese. For example, an element may be implemented as dedicated hardware.Dedicated hardware elements may be referred to as “processors”,“controllers”, or some similar terminology. When provided by aprocessor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicatedprocessor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individualprocessors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of theterm “processor” or “controller” should not be construed to referexclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and mayimplicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP)hardware, a network processor, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC) or other circuitry, field programmable gate array (FPGA), readonly memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM),non-volatile storage, logic, or some other physical hardware componentor module.

Also, an element may be implemented as instructions executable by aprocessor or a computer to perform the functions of the element. Someexamples of instructions are software, program code, and firmware. Theinstructions are operational when executed by the processor to directthe processor to perform the functions of the element. The instructionsmay be stored on storage devices that are readable by the processor.Some examples of the storage devices are digital or solid-statememories, magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disks and magnetictapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media.

Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope is notlimited to those specific embodiments. Rather, the scope is defined bythe following claims and any equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: acquiring an optical fibercomprising a core that is configured to convey light; cleaving theoptical fiber to form a first length and a second length; disposing aphoton converter onto an end of the first length of the optical fiber,wherein the photon converter includes a void that allows the lightthrough the core; and splicing the end of the first length of theoptical fiber to an end of the second length of the optical fiber. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein: the optical fiber further comprises aninner cladding surrounding the core that is optically transparent, andan outer cladding surrounding the inner cladding that is configured toredirect scattered light from the core into the inner cladding.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising: converting, by the photonconverter, the scattered light received by the photon converter intoelectricity.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: electricallypowering, by the photon converter, an optical amplifier; and amplifying,by the optical amplifier, the light conveyed by the core.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein: the photon converter is comprised of Gallium-IndiumArsenide (gaInAs).
 6. A method comprising: acquiring an optical fibercomprising a core that is configured to convey light, an inner claddingsurrounding the core that is optically transparent, and an outercladding surrounding the inner cladding that is configured to redirectscattered light from the core into the inner cladding; cleaving theoptical fiber transversely to form a first length and a second length;disposing a Photovoltaic cell onto an end of the first length of theoptical fiber, wherein the Photovoltaic cell includes a void that allowsthe light through the core; and splicing the end of the first length ofthe optical fiber to an end of the second length of the optical fiber.7. The method of claim 6, wherein disposing the Photovoltaic cellfurther comprises: disposing the Photovoltaic cell between an outercircumference of the core and an outer circumference of the innercladding.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein: the Photovoltaic cellincludes electrical leads that extend from the optical fiber at thesplice, and the method further comprises: converting, by thePhotovoltaic cell, the scattered light received by the Photovoltaic cellinto electricity for transport by the electrical leads.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising: electrically coupling an optical amplifierto the electrical leads.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:receiving, by the optical amplifier, the light; and amplifying, by theoptical amplifier, the light.
 11. The method of claim 6, whereinacquiring the optical fiber further comprises: selecting the core tohave a refractive index that is greater than a refractive index of theinner cladding, and selecting the inner cladding to have a refractiveindex that is greater than a refractive index of the outer cladding. 12.The method of claim 6, wherein splicing the end further comprises:mechanically splicing the end of the first length of the optical fiberto the end of the second length of the optical fiber.
 13. A methodcomprising: acquiring an optical fiber comprising a core that isconfigured to convey light, an inner cladding surrounding the core thatis optically transparent, and an outer cladding surrounding the innercladding that is configured to redirect scattered light from the coreinto the inner cladding; cleaving the optical fiber transversely to forma first length and a second length; fabricating a Photovoltaic cell ontoan end of the first length of the optical fiber, wherein thePhotovoltaic cell includes a void that allows the light through thecore; and splicing the end of the first length of the optical fiber toan end of the second length of the optical fiber.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein fabricating the Photovoltaic cell comprises:fabricating the Photovoltaic cell between an outer circumference of thecore and an outer circumference of the inner cladding.
 15. The method ofclaim 13, wherein fabricating the Photovoltaic cell comprises: placing amask at the end of the first length of the optical fiber that covers thecore at the end; performing a deposition process to form thePhotovoltaic cell on the end of the first length of the optical fiber;and removing the mask.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein performingthe deposition process comprises: depositing one or more layers ofGallium-Indium Arsenide (GaInAs).
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein:the one or more layers of GaInAs comprise Ga_(0.47)In_(0.53)As.
 18. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising: electrically coupling electricalleads to the Photovoltaic cell.
 19. The method of claim 18 furthercomprising electrically coupling an optical amplifier to the electricalleads that is configured to optically amplify the light utilizingelectricity generated by the Photovoltaic cell.
 20. The method of claim13, wherein acquiring the optical fiber further comprises: selecting thecore to have a refractive index that is greater than a refractive indexof the inner cladding, and selecting the inner cladding to have arefractive index that is greater than a refractive index of the outercladding.